Pick Up Your Tears and Run
by kindofcute
Summary: Girl trouble, dragon training and how Hiccup nearly caused a war between the Island of Berk and Kaupang village. Astrid/Hiccup. Rated for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: ****Story is rated for graphic violence. **

Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, OC evil vikings

Summary: Strangers arrive on the island of Berk to learn about dragons. But everything is not as it seems... O:

I also should mention that English isn't my first language... I'm Scandinavian. Besides that, I have no excuses.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Cressida Cowell.

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**FYI:** **_Kaupang_** was a town founded in the 780s during the time when the Vikings started to launch their raids against Britain and other parts of Europe until it was abandoned for unknown reasons in the early 10th century. It was situated in Vestfold county in Norway.

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**Pick Up Your Tears and Run**

_---Chapter 1: 'I'm always learning things the hardest way'---_

_Hiccup curled his trembling fingers around a root growing in a crack of the rock. Some of his fingers were broken but he gritted his teeth against the pain and used all his remaining strength to try and pull himself upwards. But he didn't get very far before he felt the other boy leaping on him from behind, panting and grabbing around his waist to yank him back down on the beach. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to stay conscious. But with each foot and fist that connected with his body he felt more removed from the gruesome reality - that his dragon and his people had been captured and Berk had been burned to the ground. _

_Everything had gone to hell and it was Hiccup's fault for being too bloody weak._

* * *

One day earlier.

* * *

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted enthusiastically as she ran through the tall grass towards him.

It was way too early in the morning, if one could even call it morning.

Even the village rooster was still slumbering in his nest. But when Hiccup had asked Astrid if she could come and meet him, Astrid had not hesitated to say yes. Meeting Hiccup was always something Astrid looked forward too, Even at 5:30 in the morning.

Teaching the village how to train and take care of dragons nearly took all of Hiccup's time nowadays. Hiccup usually took the early rounds of feeding the dragons too, it was just something he liked to do. And Astrid and Hiccup usually managed to squeeze in a moment alone before the rest of the Village woke up. Astrid treasured these moments, and if it meant loosing a few hours of sleep, well, she could live with that.

It was mid summer but the temperature had dropped significantly and the wind had brought with it an icy chill. Dark rain clouds were billowing rapidly as they blew speedily across the dark sky. There was definitely a storm brewing on the horizon.

Her grandfather, who claimed he could feel weather changes in his left toe, had already warned them about the storm the night before. For once, his predictions seemed to be true. Not that storms were anything new on the Island of Berk. Besides, the weather wasn't really her main concern as she ran towards the boy standing at the far end of the field waiting for her. The sight of Hiccup always made Astrid smile.

The cold wind picked up a few strands of his copper hair and played with it upon his head and he raised his hand a little bit and waved slightly at the girl storming towards him. The boy bit his lip when he noticed that Astrid did not intend to slow down and he tried to position himself ready for the blow.

"Good morning!" Astrid said cheerily as she bounced into his arms.

Astrid had meant to merely give him a hug. But as usual she had forgotten that Hiccup hadn't quite managed to find his balance yet with his new replacement foot. And they stumbled a little before the impact sent them crashing into the ground.

She heard Hiccup groan underneath her weight and she hurried to scramble off him.

"I'm so sorry!" She said breathless. "I cant believe I did that... Again". She blushed a little and wrinkled her nose and smiled.

"Good morning". Hiccup croaked, his voice was a little hoarse from having had all the air blown out of him. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her and the corner of his mouth pulled up into a crooked smile.

It was as if his whole face lit up when he smiled, and his wide, green eyes seemed to glow a little.

His eyes were so pretty. They were big and round and really kind and green like the sea in spring when all the ice has melted. Yep. She had studied his eyes. And the rest of him too.

Hiccup wasn't as tall and broad as the other boys. He had a nice natural built but he was rather thin. He wasn't the strongest or the fastest and he almost always lost when arm wrestling, even to a few of the village girls. Although Astrid wasn't sure if he did that on purpose.

But Hiccup's personality made up for it in buckets. He was kind and loyal and he made her laugh like no one else. It also didn't hurt that he had a really cute face. He always had this gentle expression on his face and he really listened when you talked to him.

Before Astrid had gotten to know Hiccup on the other hand, everything about him had annoyed her.

Well, not really. She had mostly pretended not to like him to try and conceal the annoying truth. Which was that she had always found him kind of irritatingly cute. And she had had a list of reasons to why this was a bad thing:

1. She was not supposed to lose focus during training. Hiccup made her loose focus.

2. She spent a great deal of effort on trying to pretend Hiccup was nothing but air to her.

3. She always worried if someone had noticed her looking at him.

4. She had always been the best out of all the kids and suddenly Hiccup had taken her place. She just couldn't comprehend how he'd suddenly gone from this clumsy, silly boy to a master of dragon training. Astrid trained for hours every day, while Hiccup suddenly seemed to do it with no effort at all.

But of course everything changed when she got to know him. And she had soon realized that she didn't really have any reasons not to like him. And it didn't matter if he found out, because, amazingly: _he liked her too_.

The thought still made her smile.

Astrid suddenly became aware of the fact that she was staring at Hiccup with a sheepish grin on her face.

She shook her head a little bit and tried to snap out of it quickly. Hiccup had clearly noticed for in the next moment he lifted his hand and waved it in front of her face.

"Hello". He said loudly. "You still in there?"

"Yes". Astrid giggled and crawled over to him on the ground to sit close to him.

"Hi, Fishbone". She said tenderly and brushed some of his soft hair away from his face.

Hiccup had come to accept that his pet name was Fishbone. It may be a bit insulting, but he didn't care when it was AStrid who said it. She could call him anything.

"Hi... Astrid". Hiccup hadn't dared coming up with a pet name for her yet.

Astrid giggled and pushed him on to his back on the moist ground and placed her hands on either side of his face and smiled down at him. "Hi..." She said in a soft tone.

"Hi..." Hiccup repeated and looked up at her with wide eyes. The girl still took his breath away and it was impossible for him to hide it. "You're my girlfriend". He said absentmindedly and blinked slowly up at her.

His eyes were nearly the exact same colour as the green grass around his face. His lips were slightly parted and Astrid could feel his warm breath on her face.

It was making her head swim.

She leaned down to kiss him briefly on the lips.

"Yeah..." She said breathily, "I am". She leaned down and closed her lips around his, once again.

She loved kissing Hiccup. They had been kissing more than talking lately, since they had such little tame together. His lips were just so incredibly soft and he was _really_ _good_ at kissing - even though Astrid suspected she was the first girl he had ever kissed. Not that she had much experience either, it just felt so perfect and natural.

So when after some time, when Astrid noticed that Hiccup was suddenly trying to pull out of the kiss, she hoisted herself up on her arms and looked down into his face with disappointment.

She was leaning her upper body against his. He was kind of bony, but he was still felt warm and comfertable to lay on. She could feel him breathing slowly underneath her.

"What's wrong?" She asked confused.

Hiccup tried to smile, but failed. "I'm sorry".

He brought up his hands to his face and rubbed it roughly.

Astrid looked at him bewildered, "Did I do something wrong?"

"What?..." Hiccup looked at her, "No. By Odin, no". He brought up his hand to put it gently on her head and smiled warmly up at her as he stroked some blond strands of hair away from her face before continuing, "Listen..."

He dragged his words and it was making Astrid nervous. She watched his hand as he picked up her braid that had fallen across her shoulder and played with it absentmindedly between his fingers.

"I'm supposed to tell you something important and then I see you and I... forget". He looked at her for a moment and his mind seemed to drift off.

"What's the thing you have to tell me?" Astrid asked in a strict tone. For some reason she had a strong feeling that she was not going to like whatever he was about to tell her.

Hiccup looked up to the sky above and narrowed his eyebrows. "I'm really hungry." He said, "Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted and nudged him gently on the shoulder before sitting back on her knees.

"Alright". Hiccup got up with a grunt and sat up in the grass. His gaze was set on the ground and he was brushing his hand gently across the grass. "That's why I brought you out here. To talk to you..."

He didn't get any further before a lightening flared up the sky and they both jumped in shock. And soon after cold rain started drizzling from the sky.

"Great. We should get back". Astrid said and pulled her fur closer around her and looked up to the dark sky.

She jumped up to her feet and held out her hand. Hiccup looked at it for a moment before accepting it and let her help pull him up to his feet. Astrid was about to turn and head for the forest where she knew Toothless was waiting, when she felt Hiccup holding her back.

"We should hurry, Hiccup". The ice cold rain was now hissing down all around them and she had to shout to have her voice heard. "You can tell me at breakfast, we'll get drenched!"

"I'm leaving for Kaupang*". Hiccup shouted back.

Astrid let go of his hand momentarily to look at him.

Hiccup shivered and he hunched over and hugged his thin arms around his scrawny body. "You know the ships that came in last night?" He asked her and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. His eyebrows were pulled up in his forehead as he nodded towards the sea.

Astrid nodded, of course she had seen the ships. They had come in from Kaupang to trade for weapons, or at least so she had thought. But she had suspected there was another reason. She knew word had spread to other kingdoms about the boy who could tame dragons. She also knew Kaupang had had severe problems with dragon attacks. She took a step back.

"You're not leaving with them, are you?" She asked.

Hiccup looked at her for a moment and opened his mouth as to speak but ended up nodding instead.

"When". She asked quickly.

"I don't know", His teeth were shattering now, which was making it hard for him to get his words out. He wasn't wearing his furry vest that day, and his shirt was already drenched to the skin.

"Before winter sets in, I suppose". He stuttered.

Another lightening lit up the surroundings and thunder rolled just seconds later.

Astrid didn't jump this time, she merely kept her focus on Hiccup, "You're leaving, but you don't know when? How long will you be gone?"

"Thor is really working his hammer on those clouds. We should get back". Hiccup said. "I'm sorry I brought you here so early, I guess I should have listened to your granddad!"

It seemed as if as soon Hiccup had said what he needed to say, all his worries were gone. But they weren't gone, he had merely pushed them over on Astrid. He started to walk, but Astrid stood put and grabbed his drenched shirt to hold him back. She needed to clear things up.

"But, '_before winter'_ that's not in a while, right? It's still summer". She exclaimed. But she knew that it had been the coldest summer in years and winter was sure to come early.

In the next moment it was as if the sky exploded above their heads and the ground shook. It was definitely time to go and Toothless had already arrived, a thick blanket was hanging from his mouth. They climbed on the huge black dragon, slick from the rain, and Hiccup threw the blanket around the both of them. Although it was wet it gave them warmth.

"If you're going to Kaupang, I'm coming with you!" Astrid shouted into Hiccups ear as they soared over the treetops speedily while thunder blasted all around them. She clung to his narrow waist, not because of the flying fast and reckless bit or the lightening that could electrocute them at any moment. The thought of Hiccup leaving scared her more than anything.

* * *

Although his clothes and his hair was dripping wet, Hiccup walked Astrid back to her house first. They were supposed to get changed into dry clothes before meeting up to have breakfast together.

Hiccup was talking about food and Astrid wasn't paying attention.

"You heard me before, right?" Astrid asked on the way to her house and squeezed his hand tight. "I'm going with you!"

Hiccup smiled shortly before looking down.

"Listen, I don't even know what's going on, I just wanted to make sure I told you before you heard from someone else. All I know is that they need urgent help, that people and dragons are dying..." He looked sad. Astrid knew the thought of the dragon wars that were still going on in other places of the world pained Hiccup everyday.

Hiccup cleared his voice before looking up at her with a clever expression on his face "Besides, I wouldn't want to put you in a dangerous situation like that".

"Excuse me?" Astrid gasped.

"You know, it'll be dangerous and stuff. You shouldn't get involved..." Hiccup was cut off mid sentence as Astrid jabbed her finger into his chest.

"I don't think _you're_ the one who should worry about _me_". She started, but when she noticed that he was grinning widely at her she looked down and smiled and bit her lip.

"Be gentle", He said, rubbing his chest where she had jabbed her finger. "I'm crippled, remember?"

"You know I'm not afraid to hurt you". Astrid said with a smile and narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah..." Hiccup nodded, distracted by her mouth and he leaned forward to kiss her. "So you're not upset?" His voice was muffled from kissing her. "Nmm fh cosh not!" Astrid said, it had meant; _'no, of course not.' _She assumed he had understood. She rather kiss than talk.

After a while they were interrupted by someone clearing their voice next to their heads.

Apparently Hiccup noticed long before Astrid did, _that the person clearing their voice were no other than Astrid's mum; Tora._

It was as if Hiccup had vanished from Astrid's embrace in thin air. Suddenly he was standing at least a meter away from her with his arm outstretched and patting Astrid awkwardly on the shoulder and laughing sheepishly, "Good job on the... The Dragon... Thing". Astrid looked confused from the empty space in front of her, to Hiccup and to her mum and then back at the empty space again. Her lips still slightly pouted.

"Stop it boy, I saw you kissing my only daughter". Tora said simply, giving the boy a sideways glance with an unidentifiable expression on her face. She either looked really mad or like she was about to laugh.

"Oh, you did? Haha! Ok. I just... I should go". Hiccup was waving with his hand, "Nice to meet you mrs. Hofferson, you have a really talented daughter, bye!" He babbled while turning to leave.

"Talented in what exactly, mr. Horrendous Haddock the third?" Tora asked suspiciously.

Hiccup cringed and froze instantaneously. He turned slowly to face the large woman, but his eyes were set on the ground before her, "Talented in training dragons, mrs. Hofferson..."

"Just... Stop talking". Tora said. She let her gaze glide from the blushing boy to her own daughter, who simply stood there looking half confused, half annoyed that Hiccup had suddenly stopped kissing her.

"Mum!" Astrid exclaimed as her mum pushed open the door behind her and pointed for her to go inside. Hiccup was tip toeing away from the situation, which was really hard with only one working leg and one made out of iron.

"You too young man!" Tora shouted at Hiccup.

Hiccup nodded immediately, "Yes ma'am". And followed Astrid inside obediently with his head hanging low. He knew he was going to get it from the large Viking woman now.

"Hurry up!" Tora said, a glimmer of amusement in her voice, "The whole village is waiting for you two".

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Thanks for reading!

If you like it, I'll be happy to continue :)

*Kaupang was a town founded in the 780s during the time when the Vikings started to launch their raids against Britain and other parts of Europe until it was abandoned for unknown reasons in the early 10th century. It was situated in Vestfold county in Norway.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews, it makes me want to write more! :D_

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**_---Chapter 2: Head over heartbeat---_**

Tora let Hiccup and Astrid change into dry clothes before walking them into the main hall. As they entered, they could see that the whole village had gathered to enjoy breakfast together, and it smelled delicious. The new arrivals were there as well. They were sitting at their own table and the atmosphere was cheerful and Hiccups stomach growled at the sight of all the food that had been put out on the table.

Some people looked up as they walked in, but most of them seemed concentrated on the food and Hiccup could understand why. There were all kinds of meat and vegetables and some strange looking types of fruit he had never seen before. Hiccup figured the Kaupang people had brought it with them from their village. He licked his lips and walked immediately towards one of the tables to join the others, but a hand grabbed his arm.

"There you are, son!" His father said cheerily and whirled him around.

"Dad, hi". Hiccup said, while looking back over his shoulder to the tables where Astrid was already seated.

"Listen son, there's been a change of plan". Stoick said severely.

"Really". Hiccup mumbled uninterested, but turned and noticed the piece of smoked meat in his father's hand.

"Yep. When the ships from Kaupang arrived last night I thought there was going to be a scrap". There was a slight disappointment in Stoick's voice. "But, as you already know, they've come to learn about dragons."

"Yeah, Gobber told me last night". Hiccup said and watched as his father take a large bite out of the meat.

It smelled like grilled pork. Hiccup loved grilled pork. He hadn't had anything but fish for the last weak. It was making his mouth water.

Stoick nodded and continued talking with his mouth full, "It's been suggested that they should stay here for a bit to learn before going back to their own land. Get familiar with our dragon's first. Besides, I know how seasick you get. And look at this", Stoick held up the now almost empty bone he'd been chewing at in front of Hiccups face. And he leaned in close to speak in a low voice into his son's ear, "They're giving us a ship full of weapons and food in return for our knowledge".

"I've noticed. It looks good". Hiccup said, looking at the bone and thinking thinking about all the food he was going to fill his plate with.

"It is". His father said as he swallowed the last bite. "So you'll teach them?"

Hiccup turned and looked at the new arrivals from Kaupang village. They seemed nice enough and Hiccup liked the idea of spreading awareness about dragons. He also knew that the two villages had been enemies for a while. Maybe this would bring peace between them, and even better, maybe the dragon slaying would stop.

"Of course". Hiccup said and smiled.

"That's settled then". Stoick said and gave Hiccup a push for the door. "Let's go out and meet your new students!"

"Right now?" Hiccup said disappointed.

"Yes. All the sons and daughters of the chief of Kaupang village is waiting for you in the arena. Harald the Gruesome has been productive, there's a lot of them, and they can't wait to meet you".

They weren't quite as excited as his father had made it out to sound.

When meeting the Chief of Kaupang; Harald the Gruesome, and all his children, Hiccup could sense that the atmosphere was rather mixed. A few of the younger ones and the girls looked at him with wide-eyed curiosity. The older boys on the other hand, didn't seem quite as eager. One in particular, the largest and broadest one of them, was right out glaring.

"Sons and daughters of Harald the Gruesome, meet my son Hiccup!" Stoick declared proudly and pushed Hiccup forward, who almost fell on his face.

"Err... Hi". Hiccup said shyly. He lifted his hand and waved hesitantly at all the new faces looking at him.

Harald the Gruesome introduced all twelve of his children. Hiccup only remembered the name of the boy who seemed to hate his guts, whose name was Runar, and the girl who kept staring. Her name was Turid.

"Are you the boy who can ride dragons?" A small boy asked shyly.

"Well, I guess, yeah." Hiccup said. "And soon you will too".

The boy shook his head. "It's going to eat me".

"I promise they won't eat you", Hiccup said sincerely. He could see that the boy was scared. "They're actually very nice, once you get to know them".

Runar snorted, but his father shot him an angry look which kept him silent.

"Really?" The small boy said.

"Yes, I promise". Hiccup nodded and smiled. "You just have to learn how to communicate with them. Which I'll teach you".

"I have a pet pig and his name is Tiny and I love him". The little boy exclaimed. "Do you think Tiny could become friends with the dragons too?"

"I'd keep Tiny away from them for now, just to be sure". Hiccup said.

Suddenly the girl named Turid burst out in giggles, "Oh my Thor that's so funny!" She blurted and pointed at Hiccup, "You're funny!"

Hiccup looked at her confused for a moment before clearing his voice, "So, should we just get started?"

"That's a great idea". Harald the Gruesome said. "Jump right into it, that's what I always say".

"Hear, hear". Stoick the Vast agreed.

Hiccup nodded and had to smile. It was nice to see that his dad seemed to get along so well with the other viking chief.

The day turned out to be a rather gruesome experience. To Hiccup at least. And obviously for Runar as well, who made sure to make it known that he hated Hiccup, dragons and the Island of Berk.

The whole day Hiccup had to endure unpleasant remarks and glares from the huge boy. At one point, when Harald the Gruesome wasn't looking, Runar stuck his foot out and made Hiccup trip over it. Hiccup landed on his face in the dirt and hurt his knee, but he decided not to make a fuss over it. Hiccup was not about to rat anyone out and simply got up and brushed the dust off his clothes. He figured they could sit down and have a civilized conversation together after dinner. Talk things out.

On top of this, Turid kept asking him strange questions that had nothing to do about dragons.

Like how he got his leg cut off and his experience surrounding that whole event, which quite frankly Hiccup rather not share with anyone besides Astrid. And at one point she even asked him what his favorite color was.

"Err... Blue". Hiccup said bewildered. And in the next second, the girl leaned into his face and batted her lashes at him.

"Oh really?" She exclaimed happily, "My eyes are blue, see?"

And every time she burst out laughing Hiccup nearly jumped out of his skin. she was making the dragons nervous too. And when Hiccup asked for a volunteer to go for a test ride one of the smaller dragons, Turid shot her hand up. When her little brother tried to stick his hand up too, she pushed him aside and walked to stand next to Hiccup.

Hiccup suggested that they could go together, but Turid insisted to have Hiccup assist her. Her little brother could try later. And there wasn't really anything Hiccup could say and he got up in the saddle in front of her.

She immediately slipped her hands around his waist and held on way too tight. When they were up in the air, she seemed more concentrated on feeling Hiccup's chest than listening to what he was trying to teach her. She didn't really seem scared at all and Hiccup had to push her hands away all the time, which kept confusing the poor dragon and the whole flight ended up in disaster. When Hiccup offered her little brother a _'fun ride on the big, nice dragon!' _The little boy started crying._  
_

Finally it was over and he'd somehow managed to survive. But he felt like he hadn't really accomplished anything. He'd made the little ones cry and had probably made them more scared of dragon's now that they had ever been. And Runar hated him, as always. Nothing had really gone after plan. Hiccup sucked as a teacher.

"How did it go?" Gobber asked Hiccup as he dragged his feet back to the dining hall.

"Disaster". Hiccup simply said, glumly.

"Don't worry, you'll have every day until the end of the month to train them!" Gobber said enthusiastically and slapped Hiccup on the back.

At dinner Hiccup was so hungry and tired he was near fainting.

He grabbed a plate full of food and fell into a chair opposite Astrid.

She was a sight for sore eyes. And she was in a cheery mood too, which always made Hiccup happy. Her experience as a dragon trainer had been quite enjoyable. Her students had been a dream to work with and the whole group had gone for a flight together at the end and everything had gone smoothly.

Hiccup wasn't surprised that Astrid was the perfect teacher and he was really happy for her and he liked listening to her cheerful chatter while they ate.

He almost would have enjoyed himself if it hadn't been for Runar that kept glaring at him from across the room.

"What are you looking at?" Astrid suddenly asked.

"Huh?" hiccup asked surprised.

"You're not listening". She said and turned her head to look to where Hiccup kept glancing. "Why is that girl staring at you?"

"What girl?" Hiccup looked past her shoulder. He only noticed Runar's angry face. But then he saw which girl Astrid was referring to. As soon as Turid saw that Hiccup was looking she waved and smiled.

"Did she just wave at you?" Astrid asked apprehensively.

"That's just one of my students". Hiccup said. "She's kind of... I don't know. Strange".

"Strange?" Astrid repeated with disbelief in her voice. "She's pretty".

"Yeah?" Hiccup said, "I hadn't noticed".

For the rest of the meal, Astrid didn't talk much and she seemed more focused on where Hiccup was or wasn't looking. And all the while Hiccup could feel Runar's icy stare and it looked like this day was just getting more complicated than he ever could have predicted. At least it couldn't go any worse, Hiccup thought.

Hiccup was wrong.

Hiccup couldn't wait for this catastrophic day to end and to lie down in his warm bed.

He was finally on his way back to his house when he noticed a person waiting for him in the narrow ally way that led up to his front door.

Hiccup sensed danger, but he was not about to run. He probably couldn't run even if he tried.

"Where are you going?" An unfriendly voice asked from the shadow.

_Great._ Hiccup thought. It was Runar.

"Home". Hiccup said warily as he tried to walk past him. But Runar jumped in front of him and blocked the passage. When he tried to walk around him the other way Runar put his arm out.

"Ok". Hiccup said annoyed and threw his arms up. He could already see where this was going. "Can you let me pass please?"

Hiccup groaned in pain as Runar grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him up against the wall. As soon as he regained his breath Hiccup tried to shake him off, but it was useless. Runar was much bigger and stronger than him.

"What do you want?" Hiccup said angrily, "Let go off me!"

"Are you going to scream for help?" Runar wheezed into his face. "Are you going to call your dragon pet?"

Hiccup considered it for a moment but he had sent Toothless on a small vacation earlier that day, to get away from all the new people. And he was glad he had. Toothless would have teared the boy to pieces had he been there.

"Listen, I don't know what you have against me but I'm sure we can talk it out". Hiccup tried.

Runar simply laughed in his face. He had a foul breath and Hiccup tried to turn away to avoid it.

"Listen to me, cripple!" He pressed Hiccup hard against the wall. "I hate you and I really, really hate dragons".

That didn't come as a shock to Hiccup, but he was getting annoyed with being pushed around.

"Why?" Hiccup shouted angrily. "What did they ever do to you?"

"They killed my mother!" Runar spat in his face.

"I'm sorry to hear that but that's exactly why we need to..."

Hiccup didn't get any further in his sentence for in the next moment a fist slammed into his gut, making him double over and gasp for air.

Before he could regain his breath he was pushed back up against the wall and the foul breath was on his face again. "Are you saying it's my mothers fault?" Runar snarled.

Hiccup didn't have time to answer before a fist crushed into the side of his face. He could feel blood running down from his nose and mouth, "Stop!" He gasped. But Runar wasn't finished and when a knee crashed into Hiccups stomach he felt his legs faltered underneath him and he fell to the ground, arms hugging his middle. He was rolled over to lay on his front and a foot was placed in the small of his back. Runar grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back to snarl into his ear, "All dragons deserve to die! What you're doing is disgusting!"

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother". Hiccup croaked. He meant it, but he doubted Runar would take it into consideration.

"Shut up! I swear before we leave this island I'll cut the head of that little disgusting eel of yours. His teeth will make a pretty necklace". Runar said. Hiccup could tell Runar was smiling at the thought.

"He doesn't have teeth". Hiccup wheezed. He was barely able to talk.

Hiccup was finally released and Runar got up to stand next to Hiccups still body. "And stay away from my sister!" He shouted one least time and kicked Hiccup in the side, making Hiccup yelp in pain.

Some time went by before Hiccup was able to raise to his feet. And he had to use the wall for support. He still felt breathless and he could feel his face was covered in blood. He limped for his house, hoping no-one would see him.

Hiccup pushed open his door and stumbled down the stairs to his room when he noticed he wasn't alone.

"There you are". A voice suddenly said.

Hiccup recoiled into the shadow of the corner of his room and tried to turn away from her voice. It was Astrid, he couldn't let her see him like this.

"Astrid, you're here". Hiccup stuttered.

"Where have you been?" She sounded upset.

"I'm really happy to see you, I'm just so tired... I" Hiccup started. He could feel that she was standing behind him.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" Astrid asked, her voice softer.

Hiccup flinched as he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong Hiccup?" Astird asked concerned and turned him around to look at him.

She gasped as soon as she saw his face. "Who did this? What happened?"

"No-one". Hiccup lied, "I fell... You know how clumsy I am". He tried to laugh it off but it was making his face hurt. He suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy and Astrid had to hold him for support. "I'm so tired". He mumbled.

"Did that big kid do this? What's his face, Runar?" She asked.

Hiccup limped over to the mirror and unfastened his belt before pulling off his shirt. He sighed as he saw all the bruises that had started to form on his body.

Astrid stood behind him and covered her hand over her mouth. "I'm going to kill him". She said quietly, her voice strained.

"Please don't kill anybody". Hiccup pleaded, "And don't tell anyone. Please promise?"

Astrid pursed her lips but nodded, "I promise not to tell anyone".

He leaned close to the mirror to inspect the wounds on his face. It wasn't that bad, but it would definitely leave a mark.

"Go lay down". Astrid ordered him and she went to get a bucket of water and bit of soft fabric.

Hiccup hissed a little from the stinging, but it felt good when Astrid cleaned his wounds.

He looked up into her face. She was so painstakingly beautiful and he would never in a million years understand what a girl like her did with a boy like him. Astrid was the smartest and prettiest girl in the village. She could use any weapon given to her. The dragons loved her, even Toothless. And on top of all this she was caring, funny and the most loyal and nice friend a person could dream of.

She was finished cleaning his face and she started running her hands through his hair and her touch felt so good.

"You're so pretty". Hiccup said before closing his eyes.

She shushed him and smiled, "So are you".

And soon Hiccup was fast asleep

"Hiccup?" Astrid whispered softly after a while. She bit her lip and looked down at his peaceful face. His breathing had slowed down and it looked like he was finally sleeping.

She got up and stared down at him.

She couldn't believe that anyone could hurt Hiccup. Some people were such cowards.

She felt her hands clench into fists.

Astrid kissed Hiccup's forehead and brushed his cheek before leaving the house. When outside she took a deep breath before she headed for the guest house where the Kaupang kids were dwelling.

Astrid wasn't afraid.

* * *

I hope it wasn't too graphic, and thanks again for reading! :)

(ps. I promise to bring back Toothless...)

* The XX _'Heart Skipped a Beat'_ lyrics


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Dub con - The characters are discussing sensitive subjects that might offend some people**. _  
_

_A/N: Thank you again so much for reviewing and for leaving helpful creative suggestions to where the story could go. It makes me want to write fanfiction rather than doing my homework, heehee. And thanks for having patience with my typos and sometimes weird sentence structure. I'm trying to fix them as I spot them.  
_

* * *

_---_

_---Chapter 3: Stand Still---_

_---_

_"Follow, misguide, stand still_

_Disgust, discourage on this precious weekend ending"*  
_

_---  
_

Astrid tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. She never cried, and it took a lot to frighten her. But seeing Hiccup battered like that; his face bloodied up and all the marks on his body... She clenched her teeth together hard and clasped around her axe for comfort as she walked.

What a pathetic coward Runar was. He was nearly twice the size of Hiccup, at least in body mass.

Runar was the stereo typical douche bag of a chief's son. Astrid guessed he'd had the advantage of being trained by the best warriors since he was old enough to hold a weapon. Too bad no-one had bothered to help develop his intellect. Runar was all muscle with no brain attached to it. Hiccup had something far more valuable on the battlefield in Astrid's opinion; he was a master strategist. He had proved that the day he took down The Green Death. With the help of Toothless of course. Runar was a big, dumb, spoiled oaf with no understanding of how the world worked. No dragon would ever want to be his friend.

Astrid couldn't wait to teach him a lesson. The though almost made her smile. But the vision of Hiccup's broken body was too fresh in her mind to feel any joy.

She cracked her knuckles. It had been a while since she'd been in a fight.

She was walking resolutely down the small path that led to the guesthouse where the Chief and his kids were staying. The guesthouse was down by the marina in a nearly empty part of the village. Astrid had actually been quite surprised that the chief had insisted on living down there, as it reeked of dried fish. The only person who could stand living there was old Håkon, who had gone a bit silly after losing his wife in a fishing accident nearly twenty years ago. Håkon sat on the dock everyday smoking his pipe, waiting for her return.

But it was late, and even Old Håkon had gone inside. The sky was dark blue and free of clouds. The air felt crisp and fresh, as it usually did after a storm. A million stars gleamed down on her from above and besides a seagull screaming in the distance, it was as quiet as the Island of Berk could get. Since the sun never quite set during summer this far north, it was hard to determine what time it was. But but it was late enough for everyone to be inside their house.

When she could see the large guesthouse appear down the path, Astrid realized that she hadn't really thought about what she should do when she got there. She'd just been determined to go straight up to Runar and punch his face in. And then have him apologize to hiccup before putting him on a boat and have him leave Berk for good - Preferably with his sister.

But it probably wouldn't be that easy.

And in the next moment she saw something that instinctively made her jump off the path and hide behind a nearby bush. She could distinguish the shapes of two people huddled together in the garden outside the guesthouse. And it looked like men in Armour were guarding the gate of the house, holding their weapons ready.

This was strange.

Why would they have guards watching the house? Astrid wondered.

There was something fishy about this, Astrid could sense it. She could smell it too. The stench of dried fish almost made her sick, but she hurried around the house to the back without making a sound. There was a third guard that was walking around the fence. The Kaupang chief really seemed concerned about the security. As soon as the guard went around the corner Astrid effortlessly jumped over the fence and landed smoothly on the soft, moss covered ground on the other side.

As soon as she could hear voices she crouched down behind a thick pine tree.

Hearing the voices of Harald the Gruesome and Runar made her heart pound.

"I told you not to do anything yet!" Harald said.

They were speaking in low voices, but she could tell the atmosphere between them was heated.

"You could have ruined everything!" The chief walked in a circle before addressing his son again. "Do you know how much is at stake? What if the little dweeb runs to tell his father?"

"I'm sorry, dad!" Runar huffed, "I just couldn't stand seeing his smug face!"

Astrid wrinkled her nose. '_Smug',_ she thought. When had Hiccup ever behaved _smugly._

"When are you going to listen?" Harald sighed. And Astrid could hear that the Kaupang Chief was sounding more weary than upset.

"I'm sorry. It's just when he said that stuff about mum I just had to punch him, dad, I had to!" Runar spat and his father gestured with his hands to keep his voice down while glancing back at the house.

"I know, son, I know". He said in a low voice. "But you have to stick to our plan. You'll get your chance for revenge during the battle. And keep your voice down, I don't want my little angels to hear about this yet".

Astrid held her breath.

_'You'll get your chance for revenge during the battle?' _She repeated in her head._  
_

It was if all the blood drenched form her face, but things fell into place pretty quickly.

The Kaupang people hadn't come to the Island of Berk to learn about dragons, this was a siege.

She had to tell Hiccup and the others. They had to ready themselves! They probably intended to kill all the dragons too. She wanted to run right away but she had to wait and see if she could get more information.

"I don't think he'll say anything. He seemed pretty scared". Runar mumbled.

"Well, if he tells his fool of a father you'll just have to apologize to his son in front of him. You'll have to convince him. These people aren't the smartest bulbs, they'll probably fall for it". Harald laughed. "Besides, it wont be long until Trond and the ships arrive. They'll be outnumbered by hundreds of trained killers. This island and the dragons will be ours".

Astrid started hyperventilating; _What other ships? _

There were already a lot of them on the Island. The Hairy Hooligans had trained dragons of course, but could they manage against hundreds? _  
_

Runar sneered. "You should have seen him dad".

"Did you get in a few good punches, at least?" Harald asked.

"I did. Look". Runar said proudly and held out his hands to show his father his bloodied knuckles.

Astrid was shaking from all the adrenaline running thorough her system.

Harald and Runar started to move slowly for the house.

"Excellent job, son". Harald said, proud that his son had inflicted violence upon Hiccup. "I cannot wait to see the work you did on him. Did he cry?"

"Err..." Runar tried to think, "I don't know. Probably". He lied. "He couldn't even talk when I left him".

"Well, as long as you didn't kill him". Harald said happily and patted his son on the shoulder. "He could be useful to put my plans into action".

And then Astrid couldn't hear anymore when the door closed behind them.

As soon as the two Vikings had disappeared into the hose, Astrid ran up to the open kitchen window and pressed herself up against the wall beneath it.

She prayed to Odin that they would continue their discussion there. She could hear a girl humming inside. It was most likely Turid, Harald's oldest daughter and Hiccup's number one fan. After Tootless and Astrid, of course.

Soon Harald and Runar entered the room like she had hoped.

"Dad!" Turid exclaimed happily. "Look at the outfit I found down in the village!"

It sounded like she was twirling in front of them. It made her dad laugh merrily.

Astrid had seen the girl going through the fabric booths by the market place earlier in the day. She'd complained that everything was out of fashion, but had ended up trading in half of the booth for a pooch full gold coins and some big red berries with green leaves.

"Oh Turid, my little diamond, you look stunning". Harald said affectionately. He clearly had a lot of love for his obnoxious daughter. "Have the little ones gone to bed?"

She must have nodded, because Harald said "Good".

"Do you think Hiccup will like it?" Turid asked expectantly.

"Hiccup? I'm going to kill him!" Runar blurted immediately, giving his father, his sister and Astrid standing outside the window, a start.

"Quiet down, for Odin's sake". Harald growled at his son. "Your younger siblings might not have fallen asleep yet".

"Sorry dad". Runar mumbled.

"Oh dad, can't I keep him?" Turid nagged. "Please?"

"Keep who?" Harald asked confused. "The scrawny kid?"

"Yes!" Turid said enthusiastically, "Please!"

"Why in Åsgard's world would you want to keep him?"

"He has nice eyes..." Turid said dreamily and it sounded as if she did another twirl upon the floor.

"Eyes?" The chief huffed befuddled.

"I like him and he likes me too, I can't explain it, we're meant to be together". Turid explained.

"Fine. You can keep him as a slave, darling". Harald said shortly.

Outside the wondow, Astrid uttered a small gasp before clasping her hand over her mouth. She then proceeded to bite her lip so hard she nearly drew blood.

_She'd like to see them try and take Hiccup away from her and make him into a slave! _

Astrid pressed her eyes together and tried to breath calmly through her nose.

Inside the kitchen, Turid was clapping her hands together in joy at the though of keeping Hiccup as a slave.

Runar groaned from across the room. "But dad, you promised I could kill him!"

"No!" Turid moaned, "Dad, tell him not to kill Hiccup or I'll... I'll cry!"

"Ok, settle down, the both of you". Harald started, "Runar, you get to torture him, but not finish him off completely. Turid, you get to keep him as a slave for as long as he'll last. We need his dragon expertise in the future for our plan to work. Is this alright with everyone?"

It became silent for a moment while both participants took the suggestion into consideration.

"Ok, I guess it's fine". Turid said shortly after. "But please don't make him loose more limbs".

Runar merely grunted something unrecognizable.

"Good, that's settled then". Harald said, sounding happy that his children were satisfied. "Torture, but no killing. At least not at this point".

"But if she get's to keep the boy I want to keep the blonde". Runar said.

"That's a good idea". Harald said, pleasantly surprised at his sons logic. "The girl will make nice off springs. Not too sure about the lad though. He's a skinny little thing. Don't you want a bigger slave, my darling?"

"No, I want him! I want him!" Turid shouted and stamped her feet.

"Ok, love, I promise. Just, please try and keep it down". Harald sighed.

Turid addressed Runar next. "You mean the girl that keeps hanging around Hiccup? Why do you want her?"

"She's hot". Runar sniggered.

Outside the window Astrid gaped and widened her eyes stunned.

This was something else.

Astrid didn't know who she wanted to kill the most of the three people in that room. She only knew that she wanted to throw her axe at them.

"I hate her". Turid said glumly. "She's such a hang around".

"Settle down kids, you're both getting what you want. We have to go to bed. There was a storm earlier this morning; it might have set back Trond and the convoy. I need to sort it out before the morning". Harald said in a more serious tone, "Please try and pay attention in class tomorrow. We might want to keep a few of the dragons".

"I'll kill every dragon I see when the battle begins!" Runar snarled.

"Wont we have slaves to take care of the dragons?" Turid asked.

As the two kids were pushed out of the room by their father, Astrid could hear them bickering all the way up the stairs until they both slammed shut the doors to their rooms.

Harald heaved another sigh and walked over to the window.

"Trond, my son, I hope you survived the night". He said before leaving as well.

A moment later he walked out the front door and over to his guards by the gate. He gave them a few quick instructions and shortly after, one of them left. Harald then walked back inside the house.

Astrid didn't have the full picture of the situation, but she had heard enough to understand; The village was under attack and she had to warn her people. As soon as the garden was empty she bolted for the fence.

All the new information was churning in her brain and she needed to clear her head. She needed to talk to Hiccup first of all. And as she was running for his house she wondered how Stoick could have simply let the enemy into the village so easily. It wasn't in the nature of any Norsemen to be so welcoming and trustworthy, especially not Stoick. Stoick was stubborn, traditional and acted before thinking, but he was no fool. The way the Kaupang tribe had sneaked up on them was cowardice and malicious. But somehow she wondered if Stoick wasn't hiding something as well. She needed to know what was going on..

---

Hiccup awoke with a start from a horrible nightmare and jumped up into a sitting position in bed. He immediately hissed in pain and reached for his tender head. He had a splitting headache, and he could soon feel that every inch of his body was just as sore.

Hiccup hurt from head to toe, literally.

His scalp ached from Runar pulling his hair, and as he wiggled the toes of his one leg he could feel them hurting too.

"Ow..." He whimpered and let himself fall back on the bed.

That hurt too and he groaned and pulled his blanket around himself. He wasn't sure what time it was, but it felt like the middle of the night.

Hiccup let his hand glide across his bruised stomach and feeling his bony hips he decided he would start working out. This just didn't do. He didn't like to inflict violence upon other people, but this was just ridiculous. He had to be able to at least defend himself.

It would take a lot of work though, Hiccup thought depressed as he let his hand glide up his ribcage. He was simply skin and bones. He sometimes wondered if his body was physically unable to produce muscle. It's not like he wasn't active. Maybe if he started eating more and started lifting heavy objects... Yeah. That was a good plan. He would start lifting heavy things... Soon.

The only problem was that lifting an object from one place to another, that didn't need to be moved in the first place, seemed unnecessary and boring to Hiccup. And in the end he just decided to live with his frail body. That was usually the conclusion he ended up on.

But he could at least start to pay more attention to Astrid when she tried to teach him new moves and how to use weapons. Hiccup just found it really hard to concentrate when she was around. And he always let her win when they trained. Not that he would have won even if he tried. But then again he'd like to see anyone their age try and beat Astrid. Hiccup felt proud and smiled. Which hurt, as a wound on his lip re opened and started bleeding again.

In the next moment a loud crash from upstairs made Hiccup sit up in bed. As he looked to the stairs he saw a huge black shape gliding down it, knocking absolutely everything in his room over as he went.

"Toothless!" He said excitedly before shouting "AHHHH!" As Toothless collided into his bed and the impact made Hiccup bounce into the air.

Toothless was back early, Hiccup thought while flying through the air, this could potentially be a problem.

----

Thanks! :D

---

*Phoenix _'Listztomania'_ lyrics


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thanks again for reviewing - I think I might be in love with all of you :D But I'm sorry it took forever for me to update this chapter. I promise it won't happen again! Also, again I apologize for switching up names in the previous chapter and all the grammar mistakes... I'll try to do better. But for some weird reason I don't notice them until after I've posted.  
_

* * *

**FYI - _'Holmgang'_ is what the vikings called a duel between two people. Two men were sent on a boat to go and fight on a desert island (which we call _'holme_') until blood was spilled, or until one of them were killed. A few days later only one man was allowed to return on the boat...**

* * *

---

**_---Chapter 4: Stand Up---_**

_---  
_

_"Not asking for your permission  
_

_Please understand_

_We're all faltering, how do I help with that?_

_If it's all or nothing then let me go"*_

---

As soon as Toothless had noticed that Hiccup was hurt he'd nearly put the bedside table on fire in outrage.

"I... I fell". Hiccup lied and bit his lip and crossed his arms across his chest. He took a step back as the dragon extended his neck to inspect him closely.

Toothless did not like to see his human hurt.

He looked like he was about to run outside and find whoever was guilty and tear the person to pieces. This could not happen, even though Runar probably deserved it.

But even more so, Hiccup was worried about the dragon's security. He knew that seeing a Night Fury would probably scare the Kaupang people half to death. And a scared viking usually acted without thinking.

Hiccup stood in front of the staircase and held up his arms in front of Toothless.

"Please wait". The boy pleaded. "I know it looks bad, but I really need you to stay inside right now".

If Hiccup hadn't known Toothless he would have found the dragon very intimidating at that moment. Toothless was standing with his head lowered and was blowing air through his nostrils. He was scraping the floor with his one foot and growled threateningly.

Hiccup took a step closer and placed his hand on the dragons nose.

"Fine. So I got beat up". Hiccup admitted. "But this is something I have to sort out for myself".

Toothless snarled quietly and narrowed his eyes.

"I can't always have my girlfriend and dragon fix my problems. Even though it's an effective method". Hiccup smiled and cocked an eyebrow at the suspicious dragon.

Toothless pushed his large head gently into Hiccup's chest. Hiccup embraced him and scratched his neck and the dragon made a soft murmuring sound in delight.

"Yeah... You like that, don't you". Hiccup said softly before putting his hands on either side of the dragon's face to look into his eyes.

"We need to be really quiet, ok?" Hiccup said. "There are people visiting that haven't quite gotten used to the idea that dragons can be friendly. And we don't want to spook them".

Toothless looked at Hiccup with wide eyes and snorted some air through his nose. The sound had a condescending sound to it although it came out more as a sneeze.

Hiccup laughed quietly.

"I know right?" He said and rolled his eyes, "Can you believe it? Being scared of huge flying reptiles who've been trying to kill them for centuries?"

Toothless lifted his head and grinned and made a hollow rolling sound.

Hiccup smiled and petted the dragon's nose. "Thank you for understanding".

Right after Hiccup had thanked the dragon for listening, Toothless bounced over to the corner of Hiccup's room where he kept his flying equipment. He grabbed the saddle with his mouth and bounced back to where Hiccup was standing.

"Yeah, ok". Hiccup sighed.

He dropped the saddle in front of the boy's feet and looked up expectantly.

"Did you hear what I just said?" Hiccup said a little annoyed.

The dragon made a stifled growl in excitement.

"I just told you we couldn't go outside". Hiccup said wearily. "And if you haven't noticed, I just got beat up and I could really use some rest".

The dragon blinked at him with wide eyes before leaning down and pushing the saddle closer to his feet.

Hiccup groaned and opened his mouth as to speak but in the next moment they heard the door upstairs crash open followed by footsteps running down the stairs.

They both knew who it was before they could see her.

It was a good thing Stoick was spending the night at a female friends that night. Or else he would have been furious with all the nightly visitors that kept running in and out of the house in the most loud ways possible.

Hiccup mostly wanted to go to bed, but he quickly forgot about his exhaustion when he saw Astrid's livid expression.

Toothless was excited to see Astrid and jumped up and threw his large head around and managed to knock some books out of the bookshelf with his tail. He growled and smoke erupted from his mouth in excitement.

"Tootless!" Astrid gasped breathless as she stopped in front of them. "I thought I spotted you earlier". She was red faced and her forehead was moist from running and she could hardly breath. She leaned her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath.

"You alright?" Hiccup started and put his hand gently on her shoulder. But she shook it off and pushed him down to sit on the bed.

"It's a siege". She said. "They're planning to take over Berk and kill all the dragons".

Hiccup tried to get up but she pushed him down once again. In a few minutes she had managed to tell him everything she'd overheard in the marina.

"We have to hide the dragons!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Wait". Astrid said. "I don't think they'll attack until they know more about the dragons. There's still some time".

"Why would they learn about the dragons before killing them?" Hiccup said angrily. His anger wasn't directed at Astrid. Somehow he wasn't shocked to hear this. Vikings wanting to kill other Vikings – this was not news.

"They want to keep some of the dragons. And they plan to keep you as a slave".

"Huh?" Hiccup asked confused. "But I'm useless!"

He let himself fall back on the bed. "Am I still dreaming? Has this whole day been a nightmare?"

Astrid grabbed his arm and pulled him up, "Turid fancies you". She said, narrowing her blue eyes. "And her dad needs you for something he's got planned".

"Are you sure I'm awake?" Hiccup croaked.

Astrid pinched his arm the hardest she could and Hiccup released a high pitched squeal.

"OK!" He yelped while rubbing his arm, "I'm awake. Thanks".

"He's going to train them and use them in war". Astrid said.

Hiccup was still rubbing his arm. "Why would anyone in their right mind want to take Berk". He sighed.

But he knew why.

Word had spread that the vikings of Berk had managed to tame dragons. Hiccup had hoped it would cause peace between the two races. That other Vikings would want to learn about dragons and that they would stop killing each other. But of course, the opposite was about to happen. Fighting was in their nature.

"We have to get them off the island immediately". Hiccup said resolutely.

"But how are we going to defend ourselves against the convoy?" Astrid said and bit her lip. "Harald mentioned hundreds of ships waiting for his signal. We'll be defenseless".

"We can't bring the dragons into this. They have nothing to do with our war". Hiccup said dejected. But he knew she was right: The dragons were their only hope for survival.

"They'll kill half the village and take the rest as slaves". Astrid said and brought up her hand to push some of her hair away from her face.

Hiccup looked down at his hands. They were shaking a little. The new information was so overwhelming. It was hard to process.

"I know". He said quietly and hid his hands behind his back.

He knew they would go after his father first. And they would kill the old and the weak. Then they would capture the rest of the people and place iron rings* around their necks and sell them or keep them as slaves. He knew how the world worked.

Astrid grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. "We have to tell your father and we have to ready ourselves".

Hiccup looked at her and nodded.

---

They were running towards the stairs when Toothless suddenly released a piercing shriek, which made both humans cringe and cover their ears.

"Toothless!" hiccup said angrily, "I told you to be quiet!"

Toothless picked up the saddle with his mouth and pushed it hard into Hiccups chest.

Astrid was already half ways up the stairs, but Hiccup told her to wait. He could see in Toothless' eyes that there was something important that he needed to show him.

"Do you know something about this?" Hiccup asked quietly and took the saddle into his arms.

Toothless blew some air through his nostrils and lowered his head and looked into Hiccups eyes.

Hiccup understood and acted immediately.

"Put it on him". He ordered Astrid who didn't waste any time as Hiccup pushed the saddle into her arms. "It must be important. We'll check it out before going to my father". Hiccup grabbed his belt and secured it around his waist, "It's still quite dark. We'll manage to fly without anyone seeing us, if we hurry".

Hiccup hoped he'd managed to conceal the uncertainty in his voice.

---

Soon they were standing outside in the dark blue summer night with the stars gleaming faintly above their heads.

Hiccup climbed up on toothless before holding out his hand to help Astrid up, but she was already sitting behind him.

It wasn't entirely without sound that they took off into the air, but eventually the village was behind them and all they could see were the treetops beneath them and the sea in the distance.

Hiccup could feel Astrid shiver a little behind him. And she curled her hands around his waist and leaned close into his body.

Hiccup bit his lip. He prayed no one had seen them.

---

The ocean looked almost black and laid completely still beneath them as they soared through the cold air. It resembled a black hole that would swallow them should they come too near.

And as the dark outlines of all the ships appeared on the horizon, Hiccup drew a sharp breath. The panic hit him like a punch in the chest, and he could feel Astrid's fingers dig into his skin.

There were so many of them.

Hiccup had never seen that many ships all at once. And they all had the dragon heads attached at the front, which was a sign that the ships were about to go to war*.

But the fact that they lay so quietly upon the water surface made the sight an eerie view. They were obviously sitting on stand-by, waiting for their king's signal.

Hiccup had seen enough and turned Toothless around to fly back. The sky was already a shade lighter and soon Toothless would stand out. Hiccup cursed Freyr* under his breath for not creating gray clouds for them to hide in when they needed it. It was still quite dark but the night was clear and there wasn't a cloud in sight.

They needed to get Toothless down on the ground and into hiding. They needed to tell Stoick.

As they were getting closer to the village Hiccup thought he saw some dark figures moving in the city. He squinted his eyes towards the moving shapes but he thought he'd mistaken them for the flickering shadows of sheep wandering about, and didn't think more of it.

---

They landed in between the trees near the village.

"Stay". Hiccup told Toothless strictly.

And as Hiccup turned to walk towards the city, Toothless followed him.

"I mean it this time". Hiccup told Toothless. "I need you to stay here".

The dragon put up a grumpy expression and paced in a little circle before sitting down with his back to Hiccup in demonstration. He didn't like leaving Hiccup out of sight. He always managed to get into trouble.

But when he felt the boy's soothing hand pet his back and he heard him say thank you, Toothless forgave him immediately. The dragon understood that the boy wanted him to keep out of sight, for now. So he walked into hiding behind some dark pine trees. From there he could also keep a lookout on what was happening in the village.

Hiccup was about to walk when Astrid grabbed his hand.

"Wait". She said quietly.

Hiccup turned to look at her. Even at this severe moment Hiccup was a little stunned by how beautiful she was.

"We still have an hour or two. You should get some rest". She said and took his hand.

"I'm fine". Hiccup said confused.

She sat down in the grass and dragged him with her.

"Lay down". She presented her order in a soft tone.

Hiccup huffed, but did as she told him.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep". He said. The adrenaline was pumping though his body and all he could think about was the impending war.

She placed her hand upon his forehead and started stroking his hair.

"Aren't you going to get some rest too?" Hiccup asked.

"I will". She murmured.

Her touch felt soothing, and he figured he should try and close his eyes for a second. He'd only slept for about two hours that night, and it looked like they were about to go to war in the morning. It wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for a minute. When he closed his eyes he suddenly felt Astrid's lips close around his own.

He brought up his hand and raked it through her hair and released a breathy moan into her mouth.

It had been a while since they had kissed this passionately. At least 12 hours.

While kissing Astrid, Hiccup forgot for a moment about the war, Runar, Harald the gruesome and everything that was waiting in the near future.

---

Hiccup had crawled in through an open window and was now standing in the house where his father was spending the night.

"Stoick?" He said in a low voice.

He had decided not to knock, in case it would wake up the neighbours. Him and Astrid had decided it would be better to sneak up on them.

Hiccup regretted this decision in the next moment when he felt someone twist his arm forcefully behind his back and slam him against the floor.

"Dad!" Hiccup gasped breathless.

"Hiccup?" Stoick said confused.

"Unhh-hnh!" Hiccup moaned.

"Why are you sneaking around Vilde's house in the middle of the night?" His father asked.

"Marianne". A female voice corrected him from the doorway.

"Yeah, that's what I meant". Stoick said.

"Why is your son spying on us?" Marianne asked, sounding not so pleased.

"I don't know". Stoick said. "Hiccup?"

"Can you... Let me... Go please?" the boy wheezed.

"Oh, right. Sorry". Stoick said and removed the knee he had placed on Hiccup's back and released the grip on his arm.

Hiccup took a deep breath before crawling up to his feet.

"What happened to you?" Stoick asked when he saw Hiccup's face.

Hiccup's back was seriously starting to ache from being pushed around all day.

"Dad, I've got something important to tell you". He said and straightened his clothes.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Stoick said and scratched his belly.

"No. Dad, you have to listen". Hiccup said. "The Kaupang village, they're not here to learn about dragons".

"No?" Stoick said and yawned the longest and widest yawn Hiccup had ever experienced. And there was a long pause where Hiccup starred impatiently into his father's wide open mouth, waiting in anticipation for his reaction.

"I don't think they're here to enjoy the weather". Stoick finally said.

"Astrid overheard a conversation between Harald and Runar. They're planning to..."

"They're planning to take our dragons and take over the village!" Astrid said as she crawled through the window.

"I have a front door!" Marianne blurted before leaving the room and went into the kitchen to make some food and put on the kettle.

"There's a fleet of about a hundred ships waiting nearby. Or more". Astrid said, she was speaking quickly to get the information across to her chief.

There was another long pause as Stoick yawned. When he was finished he closed his eyes and remained standing upon the floor and swaying a little.

Was he sleepwalking? The information was obviously not sinking in.

"Dad, are you awake?" Hiccup asked nervously.

"Son, you're not making any sense. I just spent the whole day with Harald". Stoick said grumpily and rubbed his tired eyes. "But, it's been a while since I've been in battle".

"You were in a battle only last summer". Hiccup reminded him. "This is serious, dad".

"No-one is going to take our dragons". Stoick said. It was as if Stoick wasn't taking them seriously.

"No, but they can kill them!" Hiccup said. "And us too".

"Hmm". Stoick thought for a second and glanced at Astrid. "A hundred ships? This should be interesting".

"Indeed". Said Astrid. She glanced nervously at Hiccup.

"I'll go talk to Harald myself". Stoick said. "In the morning".

"What? No!" Astrid near shouted.

Hiccup looked at his father confused. This wasn't making any sense. Either he wasn't taking them seriously or he'd lost his mind.

"Talk?" Astrid spat, "He'll kill you if you confront him!"

"Nah". Stoick said and streached his arms above his head. "He would never kill me outside the battlefield. The worst he can do is ask for a Holmgang*. I'd win that easily".

"I know that!" Astrid blurted. "But what if he asks for a Holmgang between Runar and Hiccup?"

Hiccup suddenly felt all eyes on him. Even Marianne had come out of the kitchen and was looking at him with concern.

Stoick glanced at his son briefly before turning to walk back into the bedroom.

"Then... Then he'll just have to accept. But I think you're talking nonsense". Stoick mumbled and closed the door behind him.

"No!" Astrid shouted. "We're not talking nonsense!"

"It's... better". hiccup said and placed his hand on her shoulder. "If the holmgang was to happen, I mean".

Astrid shook his hand away and stepped away from him.

She crossed her arms across her chest and couldn't look at Hiccup. When Astrid was little, one of her older brother's had been forced to go on a Holmgang. He had not returned.

She believed in Hiccup more than anyone, but if asked to do this. How could he survive against Runar?

"Is he even coming back?" Hiccup asked defeated after a little while.

"I'll go check". Marianne said and hurried into the bedroom.

"I don't think he believes us". Hiccup said and furrowed his brows. He glanced nervously at Astrid who was standing with her back turned to him. Hiccup new about her brother. But then again, if the holmgang was to happen it would save a lot of lives.

That is, if he was to win. He knew he didn't exactly have the odds on his side. But Hiccup dared not think of the consequences i he didn't.

"That's it". Hiccup said and started walking for the door to drag his father out of bed.

"Hiccup, wait!" Astrid cried out. She ran over to Hiccup and grabbed him and started pushing him towards the door.

"You have to leave!" She mumbled frantically, "Take Toothless and fly away, I'll stay and defend the city".

Hiccup had had enough with being pushed around. He shook out of the grip and grabbed her shoulders.

"I'm NOT leaving". He said and starred into her eyes. "I'm going to do anything I can to help save Berk".

Astrid felt her bottom lip quivering and bit down hard. She took a step back and nodded. She knew she would have done the same thing.

"Son". Stoick interrupted them. He was standing dressed and ready by the bedroom door.

There was a different vibe to his demeanor. He looked serious and he gazed at his son with pride. "Let's go together". He said and went over to his son to put his hand on his scrawny shoulder.

Hiccup looked down and nodded.

Stoick gripped around his shoulder firmly, as a sign of his approval and then he turned to Astrid. "I have some instructions for you as well. Please listen carefully".

* * *

* = Grizzly Bear _'Fine for Now'_ lyrics

* = Vikings kept slaves. Most of them were robbed from other villages. It's said that when you became a slave ('_trell'_) an iron ring was placed around your neck.

* = Freyr is the weather god in Norse mythology.

* = _Holmgang_ is what the vikings called a duel between two people. Two men were sent on a boat to go and fight on a desert island (which we call _'holme_') until blood was spilled, or until one of them were killed. AA few days later only one man was allowed to return on the boat...


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning: Graphic violence and disturbing content in this chapter. I mean it this time - There's lots of fighting and gore, but don't worry, it might just end well! :)**

_A/N: I realize it seems a bit odd that Stoick didn't know about the attack and the ships, but I wrote myself into a corner and I just have to go with it :( But I re-wrote the end of the previous chapter a bit to fit it more with this chapter. But yeah, major plot hole there I suppose. Sorry about that. But thanks for the kind reviews!! I never would have imagined that I'd receive a 100 reviews for something I wrote. *hugs everyone, even Runar*  
_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter five: 'Holmgang'**

_---I close my eyes to see**---**_**_  
_**

Hiccup curled his trembling fingers around a root growing in a crack of the rock. Some of his fingers were broken but he gritted his teeth against the pain and used all his remaining strength to try and pull himself upwards. But he didn't get very far before he felt Runar leaping on him from behind, panting and grabbing around his waist to yank him back down on the beach. Hiccup tried to hold back and scraped up his fingertips against the rough surface of the rock as he slid down it. They wrestled on the ground for a bit but Runar soon got the upper hand and straddled Hiccups waist. Hiccup tried to block the fists that were flung at him but eventually a fist smashed into the side of his face and all Hiccup could see were blinking lights. Panting and spluttering Runar scrambled up to his feet and started kicking the smaller boy on the ground and Hiccup tried to roll over to his stomach and cover his head with his arms. But as he got to his side he was kicked in the ribs and he doubled over in pain, gasped for air and eyes watering. He blinked his eyes back into focus and shifted the position of his one arm shielding his head to fold across his ribcage. The other arm he used to try and raise himself up from the ground, but he was too weak to hold his own weight and he fell back into the sand with a grunt. The other boy sneered and lifted his leg up and stomped down on the small of the Boy's back. Hiccup arched his back and cried out in pain and pressed his eyes shut and wheezed through clenched teeth as he struggled to keep breathing. A foot flipped him over and blood gurgled in his mouth as he pleaded for the boy to stop.

Hiccup didn't know how much longer he would be able to stay conscious. But with each foot and fist that connected with his body he felt more removed from the gruesome reality - that his dragon and his people had been captured and Berk had been burned to the ground. Everything had gone to hell and it was Hiccup's fault for being too bloody weak.

Glimpses of the recent events kept flooding back on his mind and it hurt more to remember than the violence being inflicted upon him.

* * *

Earlier that morning.

_

* * *

_

_It had seemed like only seconds had passed before half of the village was standing in flames. _

_The Kaupang people had had it all planned. During the night, men had managed to sneak into the dragons nests and shot them with poisonous arrows. The arrows were short and didn't kill them. But the tips had been dipped in a substance that would knock out even the largest dragon unconscious for several hours. It gave the Kaupang people enough time to strap them up and pull them down to their ships to bring them back to their village. When Toothless had come bolting through the burning village to rescue Hiccup, men were standing at the ready with more poisonous arrows. Hiccup had shouted for him to run away but he didn't listen. The dragon was set on rescuing his rider, even if he had to pay the prize with his life. It had taken a while before the substance had had an effect on the livid dragon. And Toothless had managed to take down a number of men before falling limp to the ground._

_The Hairy Hooligans had tried to defend themselves. But the ships had come too quick and the enemy had been too many in numbers. It seemed like for every tenth man Stoick and his men had managed to take down, twice the amount of people flooded out from the ships. And they were armed with arrows and had catapults with burning rocks, which they kept firing into the village._

_Astrid had put up an impressive fight and slashed her sword at whatever came near. But eventually she was outnumbered and was captured and carried into one of the boats kicking and screaming. Everywhere children were running around screaming for their parents, picking up rocks or whatever they could find to defend them selves with. But they too were captured and had their wrists bound with leather ropes and brought to the slave ships._

_Eventually his father was hit with a poisonous arrow. One was not enough to knock out Stoick the Vast, which was how the Kaupang chief had wanted it. And Hiccup had been held by strong arms and forced to watch as his father had pulled out the arrow from the wound with his own hands before he too fell limp to the ground. A moment later Harald, who'd been hiding inside the guest house with his children came running at Stoick with his sword held high ready to slash. That's when Hiccup had screamed and pleaded for a Holmgang._

_His father had stared up at him with a clouded gaze from the ground. He wanted to plead to his son not to do it, that he could go instead, but Hiccup couldn't hear him. Hiccup had tried to get to his father but the arms holding him were too strong. And then Harald the Gruesome dragged Runar out of the safe house and accepted the proposition on his behalf with a wide grin on his face. He looked confident that this was a fight his son would win.  
_

_Runar had looked around on all the death and destruction with large eyes, his features rendered in fear. He had tried to get out of his father's firm grip to run back into the house. The Kaupang chief had stepped forward and slapped his son hard across the face. He'd then grabbed the boy's blond hair and yanked him close to his face to snarl something into his ear. Over the crackling flames and screams hiccup couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but he could see all the color drench from Runar's face._

_Runar accepted the challenge and it was settled. First person to bleed had lost and had to stay at the island as the other returned on the boat._

_Harald had held up his hand to speak and lay down the rules._

_"If Hiccup wins, we will leave. If Runar wins... We take over Berk"._

_A shiver went down Hiccups spine. But seeing everyone he loved captured and his village burned down, Hiccup had gritted his teeth and accepted Harald's terms._

_The two teenage boys were brought out on the dock and placed on a small rowing boat._

_Apparently they would have to row to their death, Hiccup had thought bitterly - Well, what he had assumed would be his death anyways. Hiccup knew which island they were going to. It was small, only consisting of rock and sand and broken seashells. _

_On board the boat, Runar hadn't said anything. He'd remained still in his seat and stared with wide eyes after the burning island as Hiccup rowed away from it. _

_When they reached the island he jumped onto the beach and did not help Hiccup with pulling the boat up. The blond Viking had walked up and down the beach like a frantic dog, all the while staring at the sea, as if he was waiting for someone to come and save him._

_The Norseman had looked scared to death and Hiccup bit his lip and thought for a second if he could get him to settle it another way. He would do anything to win Berk back and save his people, but maybe they didn't have to kill each other._

_"We don't have to do this". Hiccup had tried cautiously, "We could make peace and go back together and try and talk to them..."_

_Runar was pale as a sheet when he finally stopped his pacing to glare at Hiccup._

_His gaze was wide-open and he was breathing rapidly through parted lips. He looked like a wild animal. Hiccup could feel his pulse quicken. It was clear that Runar was not about to take him up on that offer.  
_

_In the next instant Runar leaped full force at the smaller boy and lashed out._

_He didn't know exactly how he'd done it, but Somehow Hiccup had managed to duck just in time. He also miraculously managed to dodge the next round of fists that Runar swung his way._

_And then something even stranger had happened._

_Hiccup had swung his fist at Runar._

_He had never hit anyone in his whole life__ and__ yelped in pain as his knuckles crushed against Runar's face. He waved his hand in the air and blew air on his sore knuckles and stared in wonder at the other boy, who was screaming in pain and holding his broken nose._

_The two boys looked at each other in shock when they'd noticed all the blood spilling out from Runar's nose._

_He was bleeding, Runar was bleeding. _

_Hiccup had won._

_He'd won. _

_Hiccup could feel his mouth hang wide open and closed it. _

_He looked from his fist, who still hung in the air, and up to the sky half expecting Thor to sit on a cloud and give him the thumbs up. He really must have had the Gods on his side that day.  
_

_Hiccup wanted to jump up and punch the air in joy, but then he noticed that Runar looked like he was about to throw up and he suddenly felt a little guilty._

_"Sorry". Hiccup had said and hid his hand behind his back, his voice full of remorse. He walked over to Runar and put his hand on his back._

_"You ok?" Hiccup had asked, biting his lip._

_Hiccup's legs were shaking a little bit. He couldn't believe that he'd won. Berk would be free!_

_But apparently Runar was not one to follow the rules and in the next moment he attacked Hiccup.  
_

* * *

Real time, a few hours later:

* * *

Both boys were exhausted from fighting the whole day. Runar had let himself fall down into the warm sand next to Hiccup and sat there panting and rubbing his knuckles while glaring at the limp form lying next to him.

Hiccup was barely conscious. He was concentrating on how to breath in and out, which was a difficult enough task for him. He wondered how many of the bones in his body were broken. He felt like he'd been trampled by an army of dragons and wondered if he would in fact survive this. It was pretty apparent that Runar was going to kill him, and by this point Hiccup was too weak to defend himself. And truth be told, Hiccup was quite surprised at his own stamina. It was the thought of his loved ones that kept him breathing.

They shared their little rest in silence, side by side on the small island until Runar eventually had gathered enough strength to crawl awkwardly towards Hiccup. Runar was so worn out from beating Hiccup that his movements were slow and clumsy, but his gaze was full of hatred for the other boy.

Runar flung Hiccups limp arms above his head before scrambling on top and straddling the boys narrow waist. Hiccup grunted in discomfort and coughed and he could feel blood trickle down from the corner of his lips.

Runar was breathing hard through his nose as he lifted his small knife with both hands above his head.

As Hiccup squinted with his one good eye at the glinting blade he thought of his father, his beautiful girlfriend and Toothless and then he thought about his mother and how he wished he could have gotten to know her before she passed. All he was left with was the memory of her soft voice and soothing touch. He' been told that he looked like her, and he wished he could have remembered what she looked like.

His vision became blurry as his eyes watered and his thick eyelashes caught the large tears before they dripped down on his cheek.

When he saw the blade coming towards him he held his breath and closed his eyes and pictured Astrid's face.

There was a rasping sound as Runar stuck the knife into the sand next to Hiccup's head.

A wave rolled lazily up on the beach. It soaked Hiccup's hair and the salty water stung in the wounds on his face. But the chilled water also felt good against his sore head.

Hiccup opened his eyes and looked confused up at Runar who was staring back down at him with a grief stricken expression. His blue eyes were wide and red and filled with tears and his bottom lip was trembling, like he was about to cry.

"What have I done". Runar mumbled quietly before scrambling off of Hiccup. He continued to crawl backwards on his hands and knees until he sat down with a few meters distance from Hiccup. He pulled up his knees under his chin and buried his face in his arms and started rocking back and forth.

Hiccup understood that it was now or never.

He gritted his teeth as he hoisted himself up to lean on his elbows. The pain it caused him was overwhelming and he panted from the effort, but he managed to grab Runar's knife and flung it into the sea.

Then he pushed himself up further to his hands and knees. He had to take a breathing break before he commenced on the near impossible task of trying to rise to his feet. He could feel that his left arm was broken, as was his ankle and several of his fingers. But he was still breathing.

Minutes later Hiccup was standing above the blond Norseman.

Runar looked up at Hiccup, who stood swaying in the sand above him. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Get Up". Hiccup said hoarsely. "We're Going back".

Runar hurried to raise to his feet and stopped in front of Hiccup to look at him.

"I'm so tired". He mumbled breathless.

His eyes were wide and red and his cheeks were moist with tears.

When not sneering, Runar looked Hiccup's age. Taller and broader than a regular teen of course, but still not fully grown into the man he would one day become. Hiccup noticed he looked a lot like his sister, who was also blue eyed and blond. Only Runar's features were more angular. Hiccup figured he would have been quite popular with the girls if he'd been more friendly.

"Let's go". Hiccup said quietly and started limping for the boat.

"Wait..." Runar said and put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "I'll push the boat out".

But Hiccup shook off his hand and continued towards the boat. Even though Runar looked like he'd had a life epiphany and appeared to be a changed person, he did not trust him.

They pushed the boat out on the water together. As the little boat hit the glittering water Hiccup's vision blackened and he started falling.

Runar caught him in his arms and picked him up and lifted him carefully into the boat. He propped him up into a sitting position on the floor of the boat. He then put his water bottle to Hiccup's broken lips and let him drink some.

The boat rocket steadily from side to side. The sky was bright blue and the sun burned high in the sky. A few seagulls landed on the glittery water surface beside the boat, in hope that the two boys were going fishing. In the far distance gray smoke was erupting into the air.

"I guess I'll let you go". Runar said in a small voice.

"What are you talking about?" Hiccup said hoarsely, "You're coming with me. I don't want to think about you rotting away on this island".

Looking very relieved Runar climbed into the boat and grabbed the oars and started rowing for Berk.

"I'm so sorry". The blond Viking said, looking anxiously at Hiccup.

"Yeah". Hiccup said and closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the edge of the boat. "We'll talk about it later. Just get us back".

* * *

Toothless POV

* * *

I felt so sleepy when I woke up and my head hurt. At first I couldn't recall why, but then I remembered. My human friend, where was he?

I tried to raise to my feet but I was strapped down with tight ropes.

Last thing I remembered was seeing my human held by bigger humans.

They were hurting him.

I cant stand seeing my human hurt.

I wanted to free him, but I was shot with sharp sticks and then I must have fallen asleep and brought here.

I could feel the ground moving underneath my paws. I figured I had been brought onto one of those wooden houses that float on the sea.

I tried to yell for help and I soon heard other dragons answer me from outside. They were also strapped up and couldn't help me or tell me where my friend was. Some thought he'd left the island with another boy. Why had he left? Why didn't he come and remove the tight ropes?

My heart hurt and I cried out for him. Where was he?

Wait, was that his big hairy father's voice that I could hear?

His voice sounded tired too, maybe he had also been hit with one of the poisonous sticks?

But he sounded happy... Was he cheering? Many people seemed to be. I recognized some of the other voices. It sounded like his human girl friend was there too, she was screaming his name.

Why were they sheering? Was he back? I couldn't smell or sense him!

I screamed for him and started stepping with my feet. It made the wooden water-house rock back and forth. Maybe that would bring his attention to me. I missed him, I wanted to see him!

Soon someone opened a door and light spilled into the room. I had to blink my eyes to get used to the light. And I sat very still as the human opened my shackles. But as soon as I was free I bolted for the door. I think I broke the water-house a bit as I heard a loud crack, but I didn't turn to look because I could smell him. I needed to find him!

Wait... He was hurt! I had never seen him hurt like that, he couldn't move and there was so much blood!

I growled loudly and several humans ran away screaming.

Another boy was on the boat. He had blood on his face too. It was one of the humans from the visiting tribe. It was him...

It had to be him. He had done this to my human.

I couldn't wait to rip his head off his shoulder. He was evil and needed to die.

Hiccup lifted his hand, it was trembling and bleeding. He was trying to call my name. I couldn't wait to get to him, I just needed to kill the blond human first.

The blond human screamed as I picked him up with my mouth. His body was twitching and he dug his fingers into my skin. He managed to almost slip away from me, but I caught his arm right before he fell and as I bit down he became silent and fell limp to the ground. He tasted disgusting and I spit out his arm.

I leaned down to finish him off but my human was suddenly leaning over him with his arms held up, telling me not to do it.

I leaned as gently as I could into my human friend.

I must have hurt him a little because he whimpered. But when I tried to pull away from him he put his thin arms around my neck and held me tight. It felt so good to have his arms around me. I'd missed his touch and his smell.

Maybe we could go for a flight now. I felt so happy again.

* * *

Aww... It ended well! There's one chapter left with lots of fluff and dragon training and male bonding, if you're interested. I'm writing it right now. If there's anything in particular you want to read more of just let me know and I'll try and incorporate it.

Thanks so much for reading!!


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